Gasworks were established in the mid 1800’s as the main source of gas for heating, lighting and cooking in the major cities and regional towns around Australia. Gasworks generally ceased production in the 1960’s and 70’s with the the last of these gasworks in NSW to be decommissioned in 1985.
Coal carbonisation was the most commonly used process in Australia, with the local coal reserves used as the primary input which were transported from surrounding coal mines via rail or waterway. The production of the gas and the waste generated were a major source of contamination and regulators across Australia have recognised that gasworks need to be considered when undertaking an environmental investigations on and surrounding these sites.
With over 100 gasworks sites identified across the country, these are presented in a Land Insight Understand potential contamination risk due to dry cleaning at your site with Land Insight data which with the historic aerial photos will help you identify if your site is at risk of being contaminated by one of this legacy gasworks sites.
Gasworks have had an ongoing contamination legacy around the country with major gasworks sites located in most major cities. Many of these sites do not have a detailed history of the precise location of the activities undertaken on site and in particular waste disposal which often was distributed to surrounding properties or the environment. Understanding the impact a gas works may have on your site and the processes that may have occurred will provide insight into potential contamination that may be encountered.
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